Gaza situation

Since the operation started in Gaza Strip, more than 300 people killed in two days and two hundred missing and about 160 were in critical condition .
Israel destroyed all the police station and all the Government centers .
police and civilians and children who killed in this operation.

It is hard to describe what is going on in Gaza , a terrible disaster, where the aircraft do not distinguish between civilians and military and children.
At this moment there are tanks in the around Gaza in preparation for the invasion of the Gaza Strip

I am asking the international community to stop what is going on in Gaza I hope to return to ceasefire and move away from violence
Because violence will bring more violence
I will update you with the situation

Request for assistance

The readers of the blog have probably already read of impossible situations for students in Gaza wishing to study abroad.

Peaceman has lost 2 years of studies being trapped in Gaza. He came back for a year in the middle of his studies to make some money so he can finish his degree in Europe.

In June 2007 the Hamas took control over Gaza and ever since Israel has placed a siege of the Gaza strip and only very few students had been able to leave since.

Due to the very high unemployment in Gaza, he has been barely able to find work and what he had managed to find has been only enough to support himself within Gaza. His plans to make enough money to pay for his tuition and expenses during his studies in Europe have are not possible under the siege.

Thanks to the University he studied in, they are allowing Peaceman to partially study on line. This is extremely difficult in his current situation with continuous power shortages and no reasonable studying facilities. He is of course not able to attend classes and keep up with the requirements.

The good news is that there is a good chance that peaceman will be able to leave Gaza within the next few days or weeks.

Peacman is seeking help in finding ways to receive a load or grant for his tuition and initial living expenses. He is will of course pay back any loan once he has the ability to do so.

Any help from the readers of ways to assist him would be greatly appreciated.
If you know of a way to help, please post your details to the blog (email+ phone). These details will not be published (the blog is moderated and comments are posted only after reading each post). Peaceman or I will contact you to for further information.

Thank you. Hopeman

A walk in the fields

For a little over a month the cease fire has come to an end.

Yesterday morning my wife and I decided to walk to the fields. I said to her that it may be a mistake to leave our kids alone at home, but she said "we cannot let the rockets control our life". We kept walking, hoping that no rockets will be fired today. After about 15 minutes away from our home we heard the rocket alert. We had no where to hide so we both lay flat on the ground covering our heads. This is the safest thing to do when out in the open while rockets fall.
We heard the rockets fall at a distance and ran quickly home. We called our kids on the cell phone and made sure they were safe. They were all fine inside the safe room. The rockets fell somewhere in an open field, and no one was hurt.

On November 4th Israeli armed forces entered Gaza and as claimed blew up a tunnel that was being dug towards the Israeli border. As a result Palestinian forces attacked the Israeli forces, and the circle of blood has returned...

Since then the region has been slowly but surely moving back into instability. With Qassam rockets and mortars being targeting Israeli communities and Israeli helicopters and tanks targeting Palestinian locations. Several Palestinians have been killed. Several Israelis injured, All people in the region are in fear of further escalation.

We lived for almost 5 months in a ceasefire situation. On my side of the border things had returned to normal and we finally once again felt safe. Kids played freely outdoors, streets filled once again with people, and the constant fear of the rocket alerts had disappeared.

My kids went to sleep in their room again instead of the safe room, and I could walk out to the fields surrounding the town without the fear of being out in the open with no where to hide.

During this time I have been in touch with many friends of mine in Gaza, and from them I heard a very dark and troubling reality.

The siege Israel had imposed on them continued. Basic items were allowed into Gaza, however manufacturing materials and many other items that are needed for normal life were not allowed. They had many power shortages and had very little fuel and cooking gas. People could not enter of leave Gaza and could not start living a normal life since the economic and employment situation remained as it was before.

As Peaceman mentioned, hundreds of Palestinian students and been stranded in Gaza. Some, like Peaceman, have already missed 2 years of academic studies.

Neither side took advantage of these 5 months to work out a solution that will prevent the return of violence, and now it is back. Once again talks about major Israeli attacks on Gaza and major rocket attacks on Israel. Politicians on both sides blaming the other side for the situation and hope for the civilians in the region is once again very slim.

Once again we should all call to end the violence, open the siege, start talking and bring back hope to us, civilians on both sides, pawns in the unbearable senseless political game.

Let us live with dignity, freely, quietly and securely in this region!

Trapped students

Today I will write you the trapped students in Gaza ,am one of Hundreds of post graduate students from the Gaza Strip accepted to study abroad are unable to reach our universities because of the closure of the Strip imposed by Israel since June 2007
Am trying to leave Gaza ,since more than one year ,and till now I couldn't because of the siege ,my friend hope man tried hardly different time to get me out
I tried 3 times to leave from rafah border but they returned most of the students ,and the last time was yesterday.
Some of students lost there scholarship, others don’t have any money to study ,and people losing there future ,and the world still watching .
I hope the world can do some thing to keep our dream to study and to help our people.
What we need is our right of freedom ,to study like every one ,we need from the world to conceder us as human .

It's been a while

Sorry for not writing for such a long time.
Much has happened since my last post and I will try to give a brief summary.

The cease fire is holding!

Many people were skeptic this can actually occur, however for 3 and a half months now there are no real fire exchanges. There have been a handful of rockets fired into our region, however these have not really disrupted the cease fire. They did however remind us how fragile things are, and how much restraint is needed to keep it going.

Our life here in Sderot has improved significantly. People are out in the streets and moving around without fear.
My kids are now sleeping outside of the safe room after about a year and a half. They feel safer and are able to play outside without the constant fear of alerts and rockets.

The cease fire is not an official one. It was not signed directly by leaders on both sides. It's details are a bit vague and each side claims the other is not keeping the agreement, which makes it even more fragile.

Goods are being allowed to enter into Gaza, however at a much slower rate than in the past. This is causing great discomfort and need for the civilians.

As my friend Peace Man wrote, there is no freedom of passage. There are 2 ways to enter and leave Gaza: The Erez crossing which allows people through to Israel and from there to the west bank, and the Rafah crossing which allows people through to Egypt. Both these crossings are closed for the majority of the civilians. Both Israel and Egypt are making it extremely difficult for people to pass. This is why Peace Man has not been able to leave Gaza for more than a 18 months and has missed 2 years of University studies!

I am involved in a grassroots group called Other Voice which has been active for about 8 months. The group is creating contacts with civilians like us in Gaza and we are trying together to think of ways to help sustain the cease fire and create a trust building process that may influence the way we see each other.
I invite people to go to the web site for more information: www.othervoice.org

Apology

At first I would like to thank you for your attention to us and also apologized for not writing for some time but it was for personal reasons .

I am trying since long time to get out of the Gaza Strip to complete my studies abroad, because of the closure of crossings borders couldn’t leave until this moment, and I hope to open soon .

The situation in Gaza is better than the previous, no violence or fighting between the two parties and the food entre gaza, but the crossing border still closed where only for the few allowed to leave Gaza
and that’s make significant problems, especially for patients and students

I wish the border will open in the near future and solve all the problems and that peace would prevail in the all
As we want to know We will complete what we started me and friend Hope Man to spread peace and to create good future for our people

Peace to you All

A step forward

the cease-fire that took effect between Israel and Hamas , and since that time the situation was calm for military operations and the firing of rockets.
and this make people happy a lot, because there no dead and wounded. We hear the good news daily about what will happen, but unfortunately the boarder still closed except the entry of goods but not the required quantity and prices remain expensive .Rafah crossing boarder is still closed, and there are thousands of passengers, patients, students want to leave Gaza and I am one of them waiting to leave since two years, I can not go to Europe to study. my friend is very encouraging and must be shared by everybody and I agree with him and support .
Because the previous period made things very difficult and we must build trust again and that requires us great effort and not just talk .
The opportunity ahead is a golden opportunity to try to build a new world without violence 'I know what am saying is not easy, but at least we will try to change to the best .
This chance for our families and our children to live safely and to have good future with out pain .

The cease fire MUST hold

The cease fire has begun! One would expect dancing in the streets and peace parades, however no such thing is happening.

My closest friends on the Israeli side are extremely skeptic that the cease fire will hold more than a few days or weeks at the most. 6 months seems almost impossible.

My friends on the Palestinian side say the same.

Both feel the reasons for the cease fire are not sincere, that they are political and military and therefore it will only hold as long as it serves these interests.

I personally do not care whether the reasons are sincere or not. What is most important now is to do everything and anything to make the cease fire hold.

I am not allowing my self to be skeptic because this means sitting back and waiting to see what happens.

We need to takeing advantage of this fragile quiet to create a trust building process between people on both sides, a process that will prevent the sides from wanting to renew the violence.

The cease fire is only one first step. Next steps must include lifting the siege, solving the prisoners issues, solving the economical disaster in Gaza, restoring and building infrastructure on both sides, creating jobs, and building ongoing cooperation between the people that live only several kilometers away etc. etc. etc.

I am not alone in my efforts. There are Israelis and Palestinians that are starting to work together to create this process.

More information on these efforts and how people around the world can help will be posted here soon.

If you have Israeli or Palestinian friends let them know about this.

Let's make the cease fire hold!

Stop the Siege on Gaza

. I wished to write something pleasing such The siege ended anthe crossings boarder opened But
The situation in Gaza has reached emergency levels , inadequate water, electricity, and medicine; widespread hunger, poverty, and unemployment;

The shortage of electricity subsequently affects the water pumping systems, spacially in rural areas ,you Amgen your life without water and electricity.

The continuous closure, economic siege, power cuts, and the ongoing military operations against Gaza will not end the violence but will increase it and create hatred.

people cannot see any hope.. In such situations,. We hope that we can live with dignity and have normal lives like other people in the world, we are frustrated, but still have the hope to change

I wish next time there is change and peace will come an see the world without violance .

Cease fire will happen

The situation was quite for some time , and began to talk about cease fire again ,and all the radio talk seriously about cease fire.
We rejoiced in the Gaza Strip frequently, because the siege will end, even for a short period ,but this will give the parties time to rethink
the situation in Gaza is very difficult, especially because of the closure of the crossings boarders and fuel shortage specially that’s most of cars is stopped .
What we hear in the news give us hope, that there is cease fire will start soon.
the Palestinian leaders of all factions in Egypt News says that cease fire would begin next week .I wish this to happen and become a real calming and a return to calm as before .
Other alternatives would be very difficult.
Where tried that before, recently two days ago where was a very difficult situation when four children and their mother has been killed .

the situation was very difficult with my friend hope man also ,he told me that’s dozens of rockets felt in his town .this is a proves that the civilians are the victims of violence, so it must be cease fire..

Away from home

I am on a 2 week trip abroad, away from home. I have planned taking this trip for some time, however since I could not take my family with me on this trip I was very hesitant in leaving them in the midst of the latest escalation and kept postponing it. The past month has been relatively quiet which enabled my departure.

In this sense Peace man's and my reality is different. He is unable to travel. No one is allowed to leave Gaza. The only people allowed to leave Gaza are people with need for immediate medical treatment that cannot be treated within Gaza. Many people in Sderot have left the town over the past few years, however the majority of people do not wish to leave and have not.

While abroad, I am asked again and again by everyone who knows I live in Sderot, why do I not leave. It seems inconceivable to people that one chooses to live in a war zone.
The answer is rather simple. I do not wish to leave the place where I have decided to build my home, where my friends are where my work is, where my kids grew up and have friends and bonds, where my community is. For many years I have built a life in Sderot, and leaving is not something I wish to do at this point. The rockets create fear and frustration, but do not change my will to keep my home and continue my life. If I were to leave now because of the situation I would become a refugee even if it may be considered "A refugee of choice".

The past month has been relatively quiet. It is not an official cease fire but there are only rare incidents of rockets falling in Sderot and much fewer actions taken by Israel in Gaza.
However, since the cease fire is not official, it can be broken very easily by any one-sided action that can once again cause escalation. It is extremely important that both sides declare an official cease fire to pervert this instability. Such a call can also enable in my understanding the end of the siege which is creating so much suffering on the Palestinian side. The end of the siege will also strengthen the stability by creating a trust building action by Israel that may be followed by similar trust building steps on the Palestinian side and further stabilize the cease fire. This is the process I cam see happening and creating a hopeful future for our region.

Our One Month Initiative is aimed at creating this opportunity.

If you have not yet signed our petition, you are welcome to do so:
http://www.one-month.org/

Sige in gaza

Today I was going to visit one of my friends, and this need 20 minutes by car
the driver told us that’s the price is increased , When we asked him why he said that there is no SOLAR
We all know how we became after the siege ,Everything is sold at high prices if there is supplies .
There is no oil and gas ,and 90% cars were stopped and a lot of supplies is missing .Why the world still watching us .
Gaza Strip is suffering from the siege since long time ago the economy is totally destroyed and 'has become a high unemployment rate' and crossings boarders is closed The siege will not bring peace, killing will not bring peace, but will bring destruction and the hatred. History has proved that,
Why they do not leave us as civilians to choose our future even once, Why the world don’t tells the two sides leaders Enough
the threats to invade Gaza started again and planes have come back Why the world leaders don’t work to end this conflict peacefully why they still watching this conflict as action movie .

Different voice

Since 2000, violence is the only language exchanged between the two parties, thousands have been killed and thousands wounded ,and the problem remains as it is

the history shows that violence does not solve the conflict. Only through negotiation will reach to better future .
the efforts of political leaders can put an end to the pain and suffering of the Palestinians and Israelis on both sides.


But the leaders did not end the mutual violence, therefore We must as civilians work to finish this conflict .I know that is not easy, but at least the civilians in both sides will say what the want , we want to live normal life away from rockets and bombs .
This initiative will approve to the leaders and to the world that’s there is different voice coming says we want to change this situation .

Today we are small group ,but in the future will be loud ,and every body will join us ,because what we doing is the right thing for our people .

Where change is happening

It's been 12 days since my last post. These have been relatively quiet days, interrupted by the one incident my friend Peace man mentioned in his post. Every few days a "stray rocket" is launched towards Sderot but life is almost normal.
We have been used to this type of fragile periods of quiet. They are so easily broken since the basic reality of life is not changing. Israel feels threatened by the Palestinians and The Palestinians by Israel. This fear is nurtured by old misconceptions and beliefs.
During these days I have been part of a new amazing initiative that evolved from this blog and the One Month initiative.
The initiative which we call "A different Voice" involves an amazing array of people from a wide range of views, ages and backgrounds. The clear and common ground being: Our understanding that we cannot wait for our leaders to solve our problems for us and that if any change is to happen it will happen from us, the civilians. We have partners, such as Peace man and others, on the Palestinian side, who share our understanding. This initiative is young, however it has the power to grow through the amazing people that are willing to look into their hearts and reach out to the other side in a true effort to change our seemingly helpless reality into a hopeful future. We are not alone. More to come...

Cease fire NOW

The past few days were quiet in Gaza somehow, and all the programs on the radio or television talking about cease fire.


Talk about bringing cease fire in Gaza Strip is the main subject on the streets and in shops and cars, even though that everyone was not optimistic , but the cease fire is the dream of every person ,The period we had is one of the most difficult stages, closures, unemployment and the destruction of the economy and killing .Palestinians want change, they want to live like the other people in the world ,they want freedom to travel ,to create future.
The traders started preparing to buys goods, and the students to complete their education abroad and every person wants to do what they need . But the killing of 4 Palestinians in Bethlehem, and the launching of missiles to Sderot disappointed them again ,and people started talking about the invasion, retaliation again .
Therefore, we must stop the violence and not a repeat what’s happened last time .
Violence won't create safety ,but will take us to dark a future. We do not want more violence, we do not want more pain for both sides
Both sides have the right to live normally, without violence, without hatred ,all of us are human.
Let's be together and join our One Month initiative.

Retaliation or Terrorism

Tonight we heard of at least 7 young yeshiva students that were killed in Jerusalem. At least 7 more wounded some very severely.

Jerusalem is about an hour and a half drive from Sderot but now suffers consequences of the ongoing violence in the Gaza/Sderot region.

I titled this post "Retaliation or Terrorism" and ask myself: Does it really matter? Does it matter to the father and mother, the sister and brother, the friend and the fellow student?

Less than a week ago a family of 7 was killed during an Israeli attack in Gaza. Retaliation or Terrorism? defense or offense? Does it really matter to the relatives and neighbors? To the friends and acquaintances?
2 days ago a one month year old Palestinian baby was killed in an Israeli attack. He was killed while Israel was searching for a Hamas militant. The militant was killed but how can such consequences be justified?

After terribly violent days that started last wednesday, the past few days in Sderot, have been somewhat quieter. Only somewhat, since yesterday the home of relatives of a co-worker of mine, was badly hit by a rocket, and today 2 more homes were badly damaged by 2 direct hits. In all cases luckily no one was severely injured, however the fear, anxiety and pain are deep wounds that may never heal.

Our One Month initiative may seem naive, however what initiatives have our leaders offered that have proven to be any better? The rockets are still hitting on both sides and nothing they have done has brought us nearer to any resolution. All it has done is bring about more pain and frustration. In any case, it is definitely no worse than what has been tried so far.

People from both sides of this pain join to stop this insanity. Even if it will be for only One Month, it will be precious. And who knows? If it works for one, then why not for two?...

We the majority and must not be silent. Please join us:
www.one-month.org

One Month Initiative

As you are all aware Gaza is facing death for four days ,around hundred and ten people have been killed and more than three hundred injured, half of them is Civilians ,and children’s
the civilians in both sides are still paying the price .

Rockets are still falling on Sderot and Gaza, and force couldn’t stop it .
I don’t know what they are waiting for more people to die.

I can hear the helicopters and planes and machine gun shooting all the time. I think this night wont be easy.
Every day I talk with my friend Hope man ,we hear the helicopter and machine gun at the same time .

We are trying to stop the ongoing escalation through One Month initiative.

As I said earlier we are the majority, and you are the strength and hope .

When more people join us, we can achieve our aims in stopping the blood and violence.

A Call For Action

Today over 50 people were killed in the hostilities.
This is a deadly and useless path that feeds the fire of hatred with even more actions on both sides and after much too much suffering will end with a cease fire.

What's the point?

Many of our blog readers have asked us what they can do to help?

I spoke today with Peace man and we agreed to start an active initiative.
We ask from our Leaders to give us One Month cease fire. Time to stop all hostile actions and give us and our leaders time to rethink and evaluate the situation.

For us the citizens under continuous attacks, this will give a true break, that we so badly need. For our leaders. It will allow time to figure out a different way out of this dead lock.

You can sign our petition here: www.one-month.org

Please spread the word. We need as many people as possible to join us. Send the link to your friends, relatives, acquaintances.

What we have feared most is happening

For 4 days there has been ongoing escalation. Israel has continued to bomb from the air as rockets continued falling on Sderot and on Ashkelon.

Last night was one of the worst nights with ongoing alerts starting at 2 am and going on until arount 10 am. We got very little sleep. All 5 of us + our dog slept in the safe room hoping after each alert that it will be the last.

In the mean time Israel ground troupes invaded Gaza, and today has become the bloodiest day in a very long time. It is reported that around 30 Palestinians were killed and there are some unconfirmed reports of Israeli soldiers that were killed.

Israel is claiming that most of the Palestinians killed are Hamas and the Palestinians claim that most are civilians. Does it really matter??? Children, women and elderly were killed. This is the tragedy we were fearing. War is blind. Inocent alway are killed and to the mother or child the count has no significance.

I hear the helicopters and planes in a short distance and lot's of machine gun shooting.
I spoke to my friend Peace man and he told me that things are very very bad in Gaza. People are becoming filled with hatred and militant groups that have until now not been part of the hostile actions, have joined the fighting.

We may be facing a long bloody future that could have been prevented if only both sides could hold back and try to prevent it.

We need a quick cease fire to first stop the blood shed, then calm down for a few days from the situation, then think again of new ways to solve the situation.

A cease fire will happen eventually. It always does. Why not now before even more pain and more hatred are created?

We need a cease fire now!

A bloody day

Since the killing of an Israeli in Sederot, Israel began shelling Gaza.
The total number of Palestinians killed was 17, including six children, and one baby seven months old.
They bombed many places of Hamas ,and some factories. I can hear the sound of aircraft clearly, I hear gunfire in all directions violence is back again ,and they still want to use power again.
For more than fifty years, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are using the power language to solve the conflicts ,and the result is more violence and more destruction, the history of the our conflicts approved that the power language will not solve the problem, but they still are this power.
As they used the power in the past years, why don’t they try the language of peace. We expect more attacks, will attack many places in Gaza, and will be very dangerous and painful.
Its was a bloody day in Gaza and I am sure it's the same with my friend hope man.
I still don’t understand till now, what do they want to achieve by the continuance of violence .
Why they want to kill any chance of hope and peace ?
I wish I can get answer to my question.

Endless senssless circle of blood

This morning 5 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air strike.
Associated Press wrote: "An Israeli aircraft blew up a minivan carrying Hamas gunmen in southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing five militants including two key commanders involved rocket attacks on Israel, the militant group said."

Following the incident, we knew this would be a dangerous day in Sderot. Around 14:30 the alerts started sounding and the rockets falling. Until now I estimate 20 rockets fell.

Just half an hour ago a rocket hit Sapir college and one man was killed by a direct hit another was wounded.

We expect more attacks and therefor stay close to our safe room. The kids were planning to buy costumes for Purim (Jewish holiday on which kids dress up in costumes). I told them we cannot go out today since it's too dangerous.

I have not written for several days, however it has not been quiet. Rockets have been falling every day. Not very frequent but 1-3 alerts a day which keep us very alert.

The day before yesterday, a kid who is a friend of my neighbors kid was injured (An alert was just heard a minute ago so I stopped writing and ran to the safe room with my kids, wife and neighbors kids, I am back...)
The kid's shoulder was crushed and he was operated and is still hospitalized.

I spoke to Peace man a couple days ago and asked him about 3 young Palestinians that were killed a few days before by an Israeli attack. Israel claimed that they were militants about to shoot rockets, but Peace man said that a friend of his went to the place they were killed and saw that they were killed inside a house while eating lunch and are not affiliated with any militant group.

The endless senseless situation is still going on. More innocent people are being killed, injured, traumatized.

Israel continues it's "Preventive Attacks" while the Hamas and other militant groups continue their attacks. Each retaliating to the other's attacks. Endless senseless circle of blood and stupidity.

(Another rocket just fell very close to our home. There was no alert this time. Very scary.)

Follow up: Following the rocket attacks on Sderot and the killing of a civilian, Israel attacked in the center of Gaza killing 2 children and badly wounding a third. In addition 12 other civilians were wounded in another attack. What good could that have done bringing even more pain and desperation?

We are the majority

I was reading the comments this morning ,and when I wanted to reply to comments I found another, encouraging me more and more .
I used to say we are the majority in the world, the people who want peace are more than those who want war, but the majority is not being heard.

All governments are saying that the violence should be ended.
My question is : where are these governments?
Why the international governments don’t put PRESSURE to end this violence?
If they cant do it that is why we civilians don’t do it ,why we don’t create new future with hope, peace and love.
We don’t have to wait till more people die ,lets start now.
As my friend hope man , Things may not change very fast but little by little hope can be created and we the ordinary people can help in building a better future.
People on both sides want to know how many are supporting this peace.
What we see in the media is government speakers, but they don’t see you as civilians.
Am sure if more people join us ,the picture will be clear to others and we will achieve our goals .

All is possible

Dear Peace man,

It's a sunny day in Sderot as well.

People may not be aware that if the borders were open and checkpoints removed it would take me 25 minutes to visit you. The distance in a straight line is less than 10 kilometers, so we share the exact same weather.
It has been a very beautiful day, and our area is famous for its red anemone flowers that bloom at this time of the year and cover vast areas painting the hills and fields in bright red. Quite an amazing view.

No rockets fell today. I usually do not mention it when it's quiet since we all have some superstitious beliefs and saying "it has really been quiet today" is not something people dare to say. To often this quiet is short lived and sounds of war return.

From our many conversations I know how frustrating and difficult life is in Gaza. Our life in Sderot is very stressful and frustrating; however it cannot be compared with what you are going through there. Only 10 kilometers away.

I truly believe there is hope for change. I truly believe that we are the majority. We who want to live a normal life.

We need to keep this dialog going and have as many people as possible join. We need to be able to control our destiny and not be led to believe that violence in our region is a fact that cannot be disputed.
Things may not change very fast but little by little hope can be created and we the ordinary people can help in building a better future.

My dream is that many Palestinians from Gaza, the west bank and over the globe and many Israeli's from Sderot, Israel and around the globe and many other ordinary people from around the globe join our call to stop violence and allow us to live a normal life.

Once this is achieved all is possible.

Sunny Day

Today it's sunny and quiet day in Gaza.
There is no special activity or military operations and we hope every day would be quiet on both sides and over the world.
But still the siege controls our life. The borders are still closed and we have electricity for three to six hours a day, though in some areas they have more.
Most of the supplies are not available in Gaza and what is available is more than double in price. There is unemployment because most of the factories are closed because they can't import or export.
Thousand of students lost the chance to continue there education abroad, because of the borders situation.
This morning I was with my friend in the market ,he was not optimistic because of the situation, and he wants to leave Gaza when the border will open , to live normal life.
I told him ,I do dream to live in normal life without any violence ,but we have to face this situation and fight for peace.
I don’t blame my friend ,because sometimes I have the same feeling ,but really when I talk with my friend Hope man, I really get the energy to work and continue ,and also I get a lot of energy to see so many people supporting our dream of peace.

one voice

Dear all,
We would like to thank all of you for your support and for you encouraging us to continue. I am so glad that we have people from over the world reading our blog. I think this our time as civilians to call to stop this violence
I know its not easy to do, but I believe if all people who care about peace will be one voice then something will happen.
I believe that a lot of people would like to do some thing to help ,and I think we are the first step then we all will think how we will go to the next step.
The peace organizations should be more active. When its was quiet we used to see them having activities more often, but now when we don't see them as much, and the governments in all the world they can make change and stop this violence. My belief is that if the people abroad show their governments that we want to end this violence, then maybe something will change.
Let's do what the governments are not doing. Lets be one voice stop this violence.

Spread the word

We wish to thank everyone who has been sending their support! Thank you! We are by far the majority!!!

We are overwhelmed seeing that the blog is gaining momentum! People do care even though governments seem to be indifferent to the situation.

Many visitors have been asking on the blog what we feel can be done.

This was the whole point for writing it:
1. Having the world know what is happening from the personal perspective.
2. Showing that people on both sides are seeking the same thing: An End to Violence that may lead to talks, that may lead to more talks, that may lead to peaceful measures that may eventually lead to a better and hopeful future to both sides.
So simple!

What can you do?
1. Spread the word. Let your friends know about the blog.
2. Keep posted. If any initiatives grows from this blog they will be posted here.
(RSS link: http://gaza-sderot.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default)

Thanks again.

More civilians die

Eight Palestinians, including a senior Islamic Jihad leader and his wife and three of his children were killed in an Israeli air stirke on a house in the Al-Bureij refugee camp and many of civilians , near Gaza City in the central Gaza Strip on Friday night. 80 others were wounded in the densely populated residential neighborhood.Eyewitnesses said that an Israeli F-16 aircraft fired at least one missile that hit the home of Al-Quds Brigades commander The three-story building was completely destroyed.
Israel government said thatthey are not responsible for this attack ,and they say its internal bomb .
both of them blaming each other and more civilians die every day ,and the situation is getting worse and worse ,and no body cares about what is going on in Gaza .
Off course the Palestinians organization will not stop what they are doing and it will increase. They will continue to attack Israeli positions, and Israelis army will do the same and this will take us to dark future .
I don’t know if they think of us as civilians ,and understand that this will not stop violence ,but will increase the hate .

Before it is too late

It has been quiet for several days now.
An alert was just heard a couple minutes ago, and I hope it will be a single alert that is not a sign of a new shower of rockets. I did not hear the blast and hope it fell in an open field.

On Saturday a rocket hit with no warning. The blast was massive and the alert did not work this time. I got to the place which was about 300 meters from our home and a large crowd, police and ambulances were already there. The rocket fell on a side walk several meters from 2 kids that were injured. The younger kid (8) was severely hit and his leg had to be amputated. This is the worst event in some time. There have been many rockets but no severe injuries lately. In the past rockets have also caused fatalities.

The incident created a very strong impact in the town and was covered in depth by the media and more and more Israeli's are calling to enter Gaza with force, and "once and for all solve the Qassam rockets from being launched to Sderot and the area".

Citizens from Sderot have been protesting in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv calling to end the situation NOW.

Sderot is a small immigrant town of less that 20,000 people. It was built in the mid fifties. Most people have made a living from hard labor. The government and state institutions had never paid much attention to the town and the needs of people here and in other such towns in Israel. The people in Sderot now feel deserted. The rockets are falling and no one is doing anything about it.
The current civilian protest is in favor of solving the situation by forceful means.

This forceful solution that people are calling for is out of deep frustration and fear, and not out of a clear and thoughtful mind of what may happen once such a solution is put into action.

Israel has used much force over the past years in attempt to stop the rockets.
No forceful solutions has helped. On the contrary, the more force used, the more rockets have been launched.

The violent acts of the hammas have been feeding this violence machine by giving Israel excuses to attack and at the same time giving no future to their people.

And we the civilians are caught in the middle of this mindless and useless insanity causing us more and more pain, fear and frustration.

I call to the people Israeli's and Palestinians alike: Don't be fooled by your leaders to think that only violence will change your life for the better. All it will do is cause pain and lead to disaster.

Stop the violence before it is too late!

summer camp

After several meeting between me and hope man ,we decided to do something for our people away from the violence situation ,and try to build good environment for them
After long discussion between both of us ,and from different projects we reached and agreed to make (summer camp Between sederot and Gaza ) we said that’s may be our children will change the future and we have to start from them ,and teach them how to love ,and what the meaning of peace ,as our leader still continuing dealing with violence way .
I left to tell my friend abut the project ,and hope man started to set plan .
Hope man start to tell his friends and international people about the project .
Both of us was so happy that’s finally will do something make our kids have break from tanks –rockets and from killing language .
we agreed to meet again with our group to set the date and places will visit and all the details ,but again the violence stopped this project as the other .
the project still in our mind and we believe that’s one day will be true ,and I hope that the violence will end and we will have peace over the world .

Again stop the violence on both sides

It's really great when it's quiet and ,my friend hope man called me yesterday and was worried about me because he heard Sven people were killed in Gaza ,and he told me about the rocket and his neighbor ,so no body is safe on both sides ,but the question is what do the leaders on both sides want to reach ? and where is the world?
We as civilians are not safe but of course the leaders are safe so why should they care about us?
Leaders on both sides understand that violence makse life difficult ,can't make any good result ,so why do they continue? Palestinians will not stop if Israel continues and Israel does the same.
So this will take us to a dark future ,and the end will be so bad.
My voice is with my friend stop the violence on both sides ,we need GOOD people to change this situation .

Peace trees

after the unfortunate bombing of civilians by the Israeli army in Bet-Hanoun near Gaza in November 2006 in which more than 20 were killed. a few Israelis, Palestinians and Internationals were able to meet, and share their feelings about the situation and discuss what can be done.
My friend D was so angry and sad because what happened and he want to do some thing that will prove to the Palestinians and the world that many Israelis not agree about what happened in Gaza ,so he asked how we can support these people and how can we express our caring .
We came up with an idea to plant 10000 tree in Gaza ,and its was good idea , we said if they destroy the future we will build again and will continue to build and we stick with hope to change ,
We started and D said we should buy these tree from Gaza to build the economy and support the Gaza people, and D wished that if he could come and plant trees in Gaza.
We in Gaza talked with authority about the project ,and a lot op people were willing to help ,and D started to collected the money for the project ,and every thing was ready to start ,but the situation Gaza started to get worst and now we could'nt do anything ,but we still have the hope to do it someday.

When the rocket hits

Yesterday was quiet. Quiet until…

Until about 5:15 PM when a rocket alert was heard. I happened to already be in our safe room and several others came in when a very strong blast was heard. I waited several seconds and then rushed out since it was clearly close. I saw a large smoke cloud in the middle of our street. I shouted to a group of people at the top of the street asking "where did it fall". No one knew and at that moment I saw my neighbor coming out of her house shouting "it hit my house" I ran towards her and saw that she was unhurt. She told me no one is hurt and but her 2 older kids are still in the house and she is going to look for her youngest child who was not home during the blast. I ran into the house and helped the two kids out from within the wreckage and the cloud of smoke and dust. It was hard to breath. The two kids came out unhurt and told me there is no one else in the house. By this time many people had arrived and within minute the police and other emergency crews arrived. Cameras were flickering everywhere and it seemed as though everyone wanted to be part of this horrific event.

The damage to the house was pretty bad and after a while crowd of spectators and media started to disperse.

This is the first time a rocket falls and hits a house in our street. It is a terrible feeling that no place is safe. We are so thankful that no one was injured but are also aware that next time it may be different and that in previous events people were not as lucky.

The rockets must stop if any kind of normality can come back to our town.

I once again call to stop the violence on both sides. Innocent people are being hurt everyday and the only thing that keeps us going is the hope that someday it will change.

Violent again

Last night was one of the worst.
Since two days the situation is getting worse in Gaza same as in Sederot.
It started with shooting between Egyptian and Palestinians who wanted to leave the border open ,and now from Israeli helicopter and F16 ,and they say in the news the Israel army will attack Gaza. Many Palestinians have been killed and injured
Violennce has been the only way both side use till now ,and they don’t think or they don’t want to think of a different way to solve the situation.
My call this time to the world and peace institution who care about peace ,what is your plans ,why you are watching us till now.
Why do we have to pay the leaders bill from both sides ,I think we have the right to live normally like all the world. I didn’t see my friend hope man for one year now because of what’s going on now.
The problem is that leaders on both side understand that violence won't change the situation ,and just create more hate in both side, but I think because they have normal life so they don't care about the other ,I don’t think they want the life to be normal to serve their agenda.
Am writing this and I heard 2 big explosions ,I hope nobody was killed or injured., please my friend hope man take care of your self and your family .

They are back

My wife and I took a walk yesterday afternoon in the fields near Sderot. The weather was excellent, and I was thinking how nice it is to have a whole week without rockets. Once in a while the rockets stop for rather long periods and it's so easy to get used to a somewhat normal life. On the one hand we are aware that they may be back anytime and on the other we have this hope that maybe they are gone for good...
While walking back home the dreaded siren started alerting the shooting of rockets. We lay flat on the ground covering our heads. No place to hide out in the open. There were 3 alerts one after the other and then 2 very loud blasts. After a couple of minutes we got up and continued on our way with haste since we left the kids at home. Soon we saw police cars and an ambulance near the town cemetery which was on our path back home. A rocket fell between the trees near the cemetery. No one was directly hit. There were 2 people which were close to where the rocket fell being treated for trauma inside the ambulance and a bunch of kids with bikes circling the area.

The rockets are back. When we got back the kids seemed fine. They were at a friends house and hid in the safety room. They did not even mention the rockets to us until we asked them. They did however say before going to sleep that they rather sleep in the safe room than in their own bedroom...

The news mentioned the rockets only on the radio in the hourly broadcast.
The 8 o'clock news on TV did not mention a thing. The snow in the Hermon and the internal political situation are much more interesting to the average Israeli than a small town in the south being bombed. Especially when no one was physically injured or killed. It's not really news...

Until now only violent ways have been have been attempted in solving the situation. It has not worked and no one really believes it will.
The logical conclusion is that it's time to try something else... Let's talk with each other and find a way to easy everyones pains.

Persistance

Dear Peace man.
I was quite a task getting your relative to the hospital in Israel. He was completely handicapped and yet was not allowed through for "security reasons". What security threat can a man with a bullet in his spine which cannot even move his limbs create? Many people were involved in helping him come through and I thank them all for their humanity and ability to take action when so needed.
In this case our persistence may have saved your relatives life.
His recovery has been slow but he is now treated in an excellent hospital and his condition has improved dramatically over time.
There have unfortunately been cases when injured people did not make it on time to hospitals in Israel for similar reasons.
Our region is full of despair and yet there are many cases of people helping each other.
I encourage our visitors to share such stories of hope in the midst of these seemingly helpless times.

A Real story

In the internal fighting between Hamas and Fatah my relative was injured close to the head, the hospital said that he should be transferred to Israel because his case is critical, and when the hospital started to transfer him they informed by the Israeli side that he is rejected for security reason .
I called my friend hope man ,I told him the story, he was so angry because of this, and he started to call his friends to help my relative to go to the hospital, also our friend D called my and both promised me to do there best
It was so difficult for us to get him out ,but in the same time its was great to see how the humanity can make different ,
in the end my friends managed to get out of Gaza to the hospital and they went to visit him many times .
I hope this short story can show you what kind of relationship can be between both sides, and am sure that there are many stories that have happened with other people ,and I promise you that we will make our future different than what we have now
In the end ,I would like to thank my friend Hope man and D ,and I wish to meet you soon .

Quiet before the storm

As the weather outside is very stormy right now I have to mention the fact that the past few days have been extaordinarily quiet.
Only one siren was heard over the weekend, and nothing since.
I hope it is not the quiet that comes before the storm.

I am not sure why it is quiet and many reasons can be given:
1. The weather... It's too cold and both sides want to stay warm. After all the soldiers are all human.
2. Israel has stopped most of it's actions in Gaza, and so has the Hammas, waiting to see who will start the next violet act...
3. The opening of the border in between Gaza and Egypt has eased the pressure on the people in Gaza and all the energy and attention is drawn to whet is going on there.
4. No special reason at all. This has been going on for 7 years. There may be a month or 2 with hardly any violence and then it suddenly breaks out. Each side blames the other.

Anyway there have been some periods of quiet over the years, and they let us breath and give us hope. If it can be quiet for a day then why not for a week, a month, a few months, a year, many many years?
It is possible, I am sure. The quiet creates hope and may enable both sides to think of ways to create some kind of normality.

There are so many issues that need to be dealt with and if this blog seems "nice" to the readers, don't be mistaken. In Gaza there is desperate need for serious development in every area of life:
Employment, Welfare, Education, Housing, infrastructure etc. etc. etc. If these things are neglected, then it is just a matter of time before the next eruption of violence.

In Sderot many have left the town for fear of the rockets and many wish to return if Sderot returns to be the quiet small town in used to be. Before year 2000 Sderot was developing very rapidly. Over the past years all areas of life have been harmed by the situation: Employment, Welfare, Education, Housing, infrastructure etc. etc. etc.

Unfortunately I don't see initiatives to make the real change that is needed.
The money and resources needed to give hope and allow people in Gaza and Sderort to feel there is a future are much, much less than all that is wasted on walls, fences, guns, rockets, troops and other weapons.

Seeds of hope need to be planted and nurished on both sides. These can bring about real change and then going to Ramallah (together) will be a natural thing.

hope

This is the third time I go with my friends to Egypt. Even though it was difficult it was enjoyable.
We couldn’t leave Gaza for such a long time ,so its was a chance to leave Gaza for some time to feel that we are free to leave, even though this is not what we dream for, it gave us hope for freedom.
We walked with the hope to go to Al-Arish to see another friend there .

It was so difficult to reach the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, and we couldn’t find a lot of goods, and what we did find was double in price.

On the return, we found a Palestinian driver with his car going to Gaza he was in Al-Arish
On our way we talked. My friend said that next time we will go to Ramallah by car Everyone laughed because it is impossible for all of us under these conditions and I told them why not every thing possible if we stick with hope. I will try to go today again to see if its will be open, I hope the border will still be open.

Open passage

I was amazed at the pictures of thousands of people from Gaza flooding the border between Gaza and Egypt at the Rafah border.
The closure that Israel imposed on Gaza could not continue for long. Life is stronger than armies and governments. The current solution is not a long term one, however I am very glad to see civilians getting supplies that are so badly needed.

On Saturday there will be a demonstration on both sides of the border calling to stop the siege.
On the Israeli side there will be many pro peace organizations taking part, however the majority of Israelis are not supportive of such demonstrations.

Both sides want peace however in my opinion there must first be a bilateral call for stopping the violence. Both sides can identify with such a call. Both sides need to stop the violence. Once this is done peacful solutions will very quickly start falling in to place.

My call to both sides is "STOP THE VIOLENCE NOW" I am sure that this will allow to stop the siege and enable peaceful progress. This should be a call from all civilians on both sides to the militants on both sides. This can really make a difference in how we see each other. Each side wants the violence to stop but many do not believe that civilians on the other side believe this as well.
"STOP THE VIOLENCE NOW"

A Day in Egypt

Thousands of Palestinians entered to the Egyptian side , because Hamas exploded the barrier between Palestine and Egypt I didn't want to go there, but my friends convinced me because they wanted to buy some goods non-existent here in Gaza any more .

We went there, but even up there you have to walk about 30 kilometers between the fields and deserts,but people were happy because this is the first time since one year to leave gaza.

Most of the population has been buying what they need but at a price even higher than in Gaza .

On our way there we discussed many things , and one of the subjects is peace between us and Israel ,and the surprise is that it was agreed that peace is rejected because of the suffering and blockade.
One of them told me if Israel wants peace ,they should open crossings and eased the life for the Palestinian, because no one will blame hamas but they will support them ,he said hamas have a lot of money for many years and they can have great life .

I told them that a lot of Israelis supporting peace, but the government does not want that. And Many of them helping the Palestinians as much as they can, but they doesn’t have any power to make resolution, and thy suffering for you .
People lost hope of peace because of what they have in both side ,but we still have hope tats positive change will happen ,and war won’t make any different ,and if we think as human .

Winter Day

It was good to get some rain today. Not enough though. Our region never has enough rain so it is blessed when it comes.
There were several Qassam rockets today. No one injured. All in open fields. My eldest kid heard 2 alerts today. One on the way to school and one on the way back. When telling me about it, he told me that several years ago when he was smaller the Qassam rockets were scarier even though there were lass rockets falling. I asked him why and he said that there are 2 reasons: In the past there were no alerts, so the rockets fell suddenly without warning, and secondly he said that he got used to it so he knows what to do and what to expect.
I am still very concerned about my kids whenever there is a rocket fall and my kids are not around. But I too have in many ways gotten used to it. It is far from being comfortable and we live in continuous pain and uncertainty. But it turns out that even to this it is possible to get used to.
Peace man and I believe that peace is possible. Peace man's friends relatives and neighbors all want peace just as me, my relatives and neighbors want this peace and quiet.
The strange thing is that most people I know do not believe that most Palestinians (and especially people from Gaza) want peace. I also hear the same from Peace man. They all say they want peace but do not believe that most Israeli's want it. How amazing that in this "communication age" people are completely unable to communicate when it is most needed.
I do not believe that the politicians on either side really see their own people and definitely do not see the other side's people. If they did they would see we are all the same. I have long ago stopped believing they can bring a positive change.
We are so much alike. All we want are simple things: A safe place to live, a place to work, food, water, freedom to move from place to place, a home, a family. That's about it. If we all had these simple things, there would be very little to fight about.
Rain keeps falling. Let it fall and clean our hearts and souls.

Gazza today

I'm sorry that I couldn’t write yesterday ,because we didn’t have electricity ,and today Israel's government allowed fuel to enter Gaza .
I was taking with my friend yesterday about our media and they make things difficult for both side and how its frustrating to hear them .
For me if I would not have known Hope man I would believe the media ,but I know him very well ,and I know how much he's willing to help the Palestinians ,even I didn’t know how this strong friendship I have with him ,specially when we have the same dream for peace and free life for two people .
Today I was talking with friends about peace ,and how life will be with out killing .
They told me that’s you still dreaming ,with hamas and olmart there is no peace ,and we forgot this word ,but I say we will Fight till we get it ,and we wish that’s real leaders from both side and from the world to come ,and I wish that’s moment to Achieve our dreams.

Frustration and Hope

Last evening a rocket fell not far from our home. No one was physically hurt. In the news very little was said. We are used to hearing the alerts, then running into the secured rooms and waiting to hear the rocket/rockets fall. There are usually about 15-20 seconds from the alert until the fall. This gives us enough time to find a safe place to hide only if we are at home or near a secured shelter.
All over Sderot there are shelters that allow people to hide in from the rockets. many times there is not enough time to hide. 15 seconds is not enough if you are in a car or more than 30 meters from a shelter.
at times we hear the falls while running to the shelter. At times there is no alert. These are the most concerning events.
It seems like the Hamas has decided to stop the current rocket launching. Israel seems to have also been less active in Gaza today. The blockade and siege on Gaza continues. Electricity seems to be the main problem. I am not sure Peace man will be able to write today.
It's quite amazing that we still live a quite normal life. Kids going to school, work, friends and mostly a normal life. I know that on the other side of the border life goes on even though there is much more suffering.
In a way Peace man an I we share allot. We are both feel helpless in making a big change though we try to make little changes. We keep going even though there is so much frustration and anger at the unbearable situation. I am much freer than Peace man. I have the ability to travel, work, and make choices. Peace man is in the Gaza prison. I feel the shame of being part of a country that has been a part in causing this pain. I am also frustrated not to see real leadership on both sides wanting to re-conciliate and create a new future for both people.
I am frustrated but refuse to loose hope. It is never too late to make a difference. Never too late to change.

situation in Gaza

Today it was quiet in Gaza also, as there is no military operations or dead people ,which is better than the previous days, where about 38 Palestinians killed.

After months of increasingly harsh sanctions, Israel imposed a total closure on the Strip's border crossings, even preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid, and fuel.

The Gaza Strip's power plant will shut down today Sunday because it no longer has the fuel needed to keep running. One of the plant's two electricity-generating turbines had already shut down by noon.
Today I went to the market ,and I found all the price is double ,and all the people in Gaza worried because of the of closing boarders .

I hope ,I can write again because of the electricity .
Peace man

First post

Today has been quiet so far. Only one siren went off. I heard one faint rocket fall in a far distance and another somewhat closer. Not too close.
I was glad that all my kids were already in school and not anywhere near the falling rockets.
The past week was very difficult. Probably close to 200 rockets with several people wounded. A couple rockets fell in a range of 40-60 meters from our home. One fell without any preparation (siren) and caught me in the shower.

This morning I called my friend "Peace man" from Gaza. He told me that things have been quiet today. Israel has cut all fuel and goods supply to Gaza. This means that they have electricity only an hour or so a day. He fears that the electricity will shut down completely. I asked about food. He told me that prices have gone up even more do to the lack of goods.

In the past week Israel has been using more force than in the past few months. This has brought about a new chain of violence with many Palestinians killed. About half of them unarmed civilians. As a result the Hamas which has stopped firing rockets to Israel for several months has once again started shelling Sderot.

We decided to start this Blog to bring to people's awareness the true nature of what 2 peace seeking people on both sides of this insane situation are feeling, thinking and going through.

We will both try to write here on as often as possible. I hope Peace man will have electricity to write.